Hikari Takeshi
"No one should '''ever' have to apologize for who they are."'' Hikari is first introduced in Circle I of the Redemption Trial, where she witnesses Xell being taken captive by the Margay princess. She, Seipher , and Dolly , are the only remaining survivors of a previous Trial group that never even made it out of the first circle. Having been separated from Seipher and Dolly , Hikari plans to meet up with them after gaining the help of these new Trial runners. So, she sets off with some horses to help Lani and Serenity retrieve Xell , meeting up with a surprised Dolly and Seipher along the way (both of whom had thought she was dead, due to some previously unnamed incident). Hikari and her two companions join the other Trial runners officially after being teleported into the Golden Hall of Weapons by Kenneth Lay , after which the Patriarch engages them all in duals to the death with clones of themselves. Though she destroys her doppleganger, Kari's mechanical arm and psyche are severely damaged. She manages to make it through the rest of Circle I and on to Circle II with the others, her injuries and her arm healed after passing through the vortex . Background 'History' Seipher Through her flashbacks and dreams, it has been revealed that Hikari's father was a very harsh and demanding man. It is implied that he was especially harsh on her. She also had a twin brother named Katsurou Takeshi , whom she was very close to. Both of them were pilots in the Air Corps. under the command of Seipher O'Shea . Although it is unclear exactly what happened, at some point in time Hikari betrayed the Corps. and left, causing the death of her brother in the process and shaming her father. 'Black Rainbows' Hikari, along with Dolly and Seipher O'Shea , were members from a previous group who had attempted to go through with Julien's Trial of Redemption; they are the only survivors. Kari, condemned for the death of her brother and the disgrace and betrayal of her family and comrades in the Air Corps., hoped that she and her companions might have a better chance of surviving the Trial if they teamed up with the current Trial runners. Character 'Physical Description' Hikari is about 5"5, has almond-shaped bright blue eyes, and black hair that she wears in a high ponytail. Two locks of hair, dyed teal, frame either side of her face. She is a Siamese cat, so most of her fur is cream-colored with the exception of her face, ears, hands, feet, and tail-tip. Those are a dark, chocolate brown. She tends to wear long-sleeved tunics and leggings, with green and black being her primary wardrobe colors. Her left arm, which was replaced due to some yet unmentioned accident, is actually a high-tech prosthetic that can re-configure itself into various weapons'. ' Personality Hikari is very proud and out-spoken, not at all shy about expressing herself or what really matters to her. She is loyal almost to a fault, and if betrayed she will hold a grudge for a long time. However, she will never fail to "stick to her guns" as the saying goes, even when times get tough. And though she is quite intelligent and good at strategy, Hikari will sometimes make impulsive decisions in order to prove a point (or herself) to others. Fighting Style Hikari was trained to fight as a pilot first and foremost, so she doesn't have much experience with hand-to-hand combat. As a result, she tries to stay as far away from the fight as she can by utilizing her mechanical arm (and any firearms she can get a hold of) in long-range combat. However, Kari is fit and flexible enough to hold her own in a close-quarter fight long enough to make a plan as to how she can get out. 'Skills' Hikari's prosthetic arm has the ability to reconfigure itself into a pretty impressive and powerful pulse-cannon, the only drawbacks of which are its recoil and limited firepower. The cannon only has about six shots, and the more it's used the more pressure it exerts upon the surrounding circuitry in the limb and the nerves in Kari's shoulder, where the prosthetic is attached. It requires anywhere from 3 to 5 hours to re-charge itself. Kari can also use her mechanical limb to produce an electromagnetic shield to protect her and a select few other people. The farther she extends it, however, the less it can withstand for a shorter amount of time. For close-rage combat and as a last resort, Hikari always keeps a small light-saber stored in a wrist-compartment, too. Seipher O'Shea Relationships [[Seipher O'Shea|'Seipher O'Shea']] Seipher was Hikari's commanding officer when she was in the Air Corps., and as such she has a certain amount of respect for him. That does not mean, however, that they always get along or see eye-to-eye on everything. Their relationship is characterized by constant bickering and bantering, almost as if they were a married couple (say that to their faces, though, and the authorities might never find your body), and Kari often treats Seipher like the annoying old grandfather of the family. Due to her betrayal, she feels a little estranged from him and sometimes finds their interactions to be much more strained than they used to be. However, when push comes to shove, Hikari has vowed to herself that she will be there to watch her former CO's back; she will NOT betray him a second time. [[Dolly Lorelai|'Dolly Lorelai']] Hikari never knew Dolly in life. It wasn't until she found herself working toward redemption with Seipher that she met the young rabbit, whom Seipher had taken under his wing. Pretty soon, Kari became quite attached to Dolly. In some small way, the little girl reminded Hikari of herself when she was younger; but mostly Hikari just wanted to protect Dolly's innocence (or what was left of it, considering she was already in Hell) from the Trial to come. Kari also saw it as a way to redeem herself in Seipher's eyes. She treats Dolly as a little sister, and though she has always been suspicious as to why someone as young as her was sent to Hell, Hikari has never allowed herself to think too deeply about Dolly's past. [[Katsurou Takeshi|'Katsurou Takeshi']] Katsurou was Hikari's younger twin brother (younger by 3 minutes), and from what has been revealed so far shows that the two were very close. They even joined the Air Corps. together to become pilots. Later, Hikari deserted the Corps. and left Katsu behind. Eventually he died at her hands. Statistics *Power: 4/10 *Defense: 5/10 *Speed: 7/10 *Dodge: 8.5/10 *Aim: 9/10 *Stamina: 8/10 Hikari is very quick and light on her feet, so she's used to dodging in and out for quick strikes. Her power does not lie in her frame but in her pulse-cannon which, as mentioned before, is very limited in its use. Close-quarter combat does not suit Hikari well. Trivia *Hikari is somewhat of an adrenaline junkie; one of her favorite pastimes used to be sky-diving, where she was known for pulling her parachute out at the'' last possible moment''. Category:Trial Runners